Malvazia Candida
⏳ Drinking Window
2024 - 2100
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Dark chocolate desserts, artisanal blue cheeses, roasted nuts and dried figs
✨ Technical Specifications
Malvazia Candida represents the historical pinnacle of sweet Madeira. Originally brought to the island from Crete (then known as Candia) in the 15th century under the patronage of Prince Henry the Navigator, this legendary grape variety became the source of the highly prized, luscious nectars favored by European monarchs and immortalized by Shakespeare. Over the centuries, Malvazia Candida became exceedingly rare due to its low yields and susceptibility to disease, making surviving bottlings from Pereira D'Oliveira highly coveted treasures. D'Oliveira ages this rich, sweet wine using the traditional canteiro system in seasoned oak casks stored in warm lofts. This slow, natural oxidative process, combined with the grape's naturally high acidity, creates an extraordinarily complex profile of molasses, dark chocolate, dried figs, and exotic spices, balanced by a vibrant, clean finish.
🍾 About the Producer
Pereira D'Oliveira (widely known simply as D'Oliveira) is one of Madeira's most historic and revered independent shippers, established in 1850 by João Pereira D'Oliveira. Anchored in central Funchal within cellars dating back to 1619, the house is directed by the fifth and sixth generations of the D'Oliveira family, with managing director Luís D'Oliveira and head winemaker Filipe D'Oliveira preserving ancestral practices. While historically cultivating vineyards in São Martinho, the house now sources grapes from over one hundred long-contracted growers farming rugged, steep volcanic terraces across the subtropical Atlantic island. D'Oliveira's vinous signature is defined by exceptional power, bracing natural acidity, and unmatched oxidative concentration achieved through classical canteiro aging in ancient oak vats. The lodge holds one of the planet's most formidable libraries of vintage Madeira, bottling centuries-old Frasqueiras on demand, led by monumental vintage bottlings of Sercial, Verdelho, Boal, Malvazia Cândida, and extraordinarily rare aged expressions of Terrantez, Moscatel, and single-harvest Tinta Negra.
🍇 Grapes
Malvasia Candida
🍷 ABV
19-20%